Oh, how He loves us so!

So, this past week was a ton of fun! The team from Covenant school in Virginia left today and it was so great to get to know them and experience different ministries with them. For me, it was so neat to see how God can use everyone to do His work and how He brings certain people together for certain reasons. That was the third team I’ve done ministry with at El Puente, and it’s so cool to see how even though all of the teams are so different, it always works out so well!

They did lots of different ministries, including Corazon Contento, the dump, El Fortine (a church plant), the orphanage, and VBS at Luz Del Mundo and the train station. It was a blessing to see how willing they all were to serve and how much they blessed all those they came into contact with and how they were also blessed.

Today I went to church with my friend Francisco and that was a blast! It was “kids day”, so there was the regular church service, then a special message for the kids, and then a piñata! It was amazing and I got to meet more of Francisco’s family, so that was really cool. The pastor’s wife wants me to come back again next week, so I can help with the kid’s program and maybe do puppets, which I’m excited about!

I just really can’t say it enough how much of a wonderful place Nicaragua is to be and how God is so at work here. It’s been great going to the orphanage on a consistent basis and getting to help out, tutor, and play with the girls there. It's really neat to see how I'm getting to know them more and more each time I go, and how much fun we have.

Home of the Ancients is also such a great place! If you don’t already know, it’s a nursing home for older people, who have been abandoned by their family. It’s run by Catholic nuns, and we go and help them clean, do laundry, and the like, and then just get to talk and visit with some of the people there. I've gotten especially close to Needia, Miguel, and Louis, and they love to see and spend time with those who come.

The train station is still one of my favorite places, because so many of the kids there just need to know that someone loves them and cares for them, because it is a high risk place for abuse and the like. We did a VBS for the kids there twice this past week. One of the lessons was on loving your enemies and the other was on treating others how you want to be treated. Afterwards we did crafts and got to play with the kids, so that was awesome as always!

Random sidenote, but I highly recommend everyone read the book “The Irresistible Revolution”. I just got done with it and it is an amazing book!

Anyway, it’s so incredible and amazing to see how God is at work in so many areas. Please keep everyone here in your prayers, because prayer is the most powerful tool. If you have any questions about certain things I’m doing, feel free to ask :). Please let me know how everything is going for you!

"Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony." -Colossians 3:12-14

Heavenly Father, You always amaze me

Hey guys!

Nicaragua is going wonderful! Two new interns have come in this last week and they are both great! Laura is from Virginia, and Mara is from Georgia. I can't wait to get to know them better! The weather has been very hot lately, but not too bad. It rained for a few days straight, but now it's back to some warm sunshine.

A new team comes in this Saturday from Covenant School in Virginia, so we're all preparing for that. I'm really excited to meet them and to see what God has in store for their trip! I went with Mario (one of the translators) around town yesterday to set up some ministry stuff at the orphanage, the hospital, Corizone Contento, and Home of the Ancients. While at Home of the Ancients, I saw Louis, and he's one of my favorites there. He greeted me with his normal, "Leighhh!" and his great big smile, which always makes me so happy.

I've also been getting to go down to the train station a lot, and as most of you know, I love it down there so much! Please be praying for the kids down there. I've been getting to know one of the families that I got close to last year even more, and they are always so kind to me, it's truly amazing. They have so little, and yet they are always willing to share anything they have. Joseline, Niancy, Manuel, and Maria are the kids in the family and are all awesome. I'm also trying to start some sort of weekly ministry down there, once a week for the older kids, and then once for the younger, and I am in need of some interesting ideas and the opportunity to do this, so prayers would be greatly appreciated!

Another ministry that I've been involved with is the baseball ministry. Ben and Kyle (who actually just left yesterday) have been running a baseball clinic twice a week, and I've been able to help them with that, and that's been fantastic. I've met some really great kids, gotten the chance to play baseball with them, and share the love of God!

I got to go to the dump again this morning and what a blessing that was! I love it there and the people's happiness there is incredible. Carlos had his guitar and he got me singing some great praise and worship songs! I don't think I have a good voice at all, but it was fun to be able to sing and just have a good time praising Jesus. Then Mario spoke for a little, and then we passed out some gallo pinto (rice and beans), cheese, and bread, and got to talk to some of the people. It was an awesome time!

God's love is truly amazing, and His grace is sufficient for us. It's so inspiring and amazing at how God's power can truly be seen when you do something for God that you know that you're not good at and that you really would rather not do, and then something good comes out of it and you know it has to be God, that is sweet!! Also, I'm really learning how God is the only one you can rely on and how His power and wisdom is sooo much greater than ours could ever be!

I always feel like these posts are so jumbled, but I hope you enjoy reading them, and I hope to hear about your lives soon as well. I pray for you all constantly, and hope to talk to you soon!

Peace,
Berk-Leigh